James Packer opens up on ‘Mariah Carey mistake’

James Packer has broken his silence on his ill-fated engagement to Mariah Carey and why they called off their wedding.

This story originally appeared on news.com.au and has been republished here with permission.

Billionaire James Packer has finally spoken on his doomed engagement to singer Mariah Carey and why it fell apart.

The businessman, who just turned 50, told The Weekend Australian he was not in a good place when he started dating Carey.

Mariah Carey And James Packer are seen together for the first time in Portofino on June 26, 2015 (left). Picture: SuppliedSource:Getty Images and Mariah Carey and James Packer attend the 2016 G'Day Los Angeles Gala in 2016. Picture: GettySource:Getty Images

He says when he met Carey in 2015 he was in billions of dollars worth of debt after borrowing big to provide sister Gretel with some of the money left in their father Kerry Packer’s estate. He was also losing money on his Hollywood venture, RatPac, with friend Brett Ratner.

"A woman of substance''

“I was at a low point in my personal life,” Packer said. “Documenting the negotiations with my sister was taking longer than expected. Brett Ratner put Mariah and me together. She was kind, exciting and fun. Mariah is a woman of substance. She is very bright. But it was a mistake for her and a mistake for me.”

James Packer says he is close to both his ex wives Jodhi Meares, left, and Erica Baxter. He doesn’t speak to Mariah Carey, however. Picture: Instagram/Jodhi MearesSource:Supplied

He declines to comment further, including about whether Carey got to keep the $10 million engagement ring and if she requested a $50 million settlement when they split.

When asked about Packer’s whereabouts earlier this year, she said: “I don’t know where the ­motherf**ker is.”

The mutual friend

Packer also reveals in the wideranging interview some strain in his relationship with Ratner, however it is more to do with RatPac and less to do with him setting up his mate with Carey.

“My disappointment … is there were three sides to the business: the Warner Brothers slate that we broke even on, the stuff we did in China that we broke even on, and the films ­(Ratner) picked that we lost money on. His job was to pick films and to help us raise further ­capital.”

Singer Mariah Carey (L), with Brett Ratner, as she is honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in August 2015. Picture: GettySource:Supplied and the bromance between James Packer and Brett Ratner appears to have cooled a little. Picture: InstagramSource:Supplied

“If I was going to deal with getting out of Macau, the last thing I needed was to be in RatPac, which was losing money. People going around saying I was doing this to party … [it’s] unfair and not what (Warner Bros CEO) Kevin Tsujihara or Steve Mnuchin would say. Brett is a force of nature. Our relationship is OK. Let’s just say I did more for Brett than he did for me. But it was amicable with Brett in the end.”

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